2024-2025 Faculty Research Grant
Shannon Trecartin (Social Work), Kristen Witzel (Social & Behavioral Sciences), Mark Moreno (Architecture) and Twyla Smith (Social Work).
Assessing the needs of students with disabilities and identifying solutions using a participatory action research design.
This proposed study uses a participatory action research design to gather and assess data related to the visible and invisible disability accessibility of 老司机传媒. This is the first stage of a multi-year project and will provide initial data for creating a strategic plan for addressing the needs of students with both visible and invisible disabilities. Students, faculty, and staff will serve as key informants, as is the tradition of participatory action research, and will assist with project design, data gathering and interpretation, and interventions that benefit the participant-researchers themselves. Data will include 1) qualitative interviews with staff and students who provide or have received services from the university, 2) results of a modified accessibility questionnaire co-designed by the principal investigator for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 3) an initial campus accessibility audit conducted by the Disability Network of Southwest Michigan, and 4) feedback from the implementation of a Campus Greening and Lighting pilot project to create belonging and mental wellness for students, faculty and staff. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings from the study will be presented as a white paper to the university administration, submitted for presentation at relevant conferences, and submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.